The Louisville Bats walked their way to a 14-8 triumph over the Omaha Storm Chasers on Sunday afternoon at Werner Park. The win clinches the Bats' third straight road series win to begin the season, after only notching one series win on the road all last year.
In a rematch of Tuesday’s series-opening pitching matchup, Bats starter Darren McCaughan (W, 4-1) was opposed by Omaha’s Aaron Sanchez.
Edwin Arroyo began the day by driving the fourth pitch he saw to left-center field for a double, his sixth of the season. Hector Rodriguez followed with a single to place runners on the corners and quickly threaten an early run. Arroyo would come across to score on a fielder's choice RBI from reigning International League Player of the Week Noelvi Marte. The Bats would send their starter to the mound for the first time with a 1-0 lead.
McCaughan worked a scoreless first inning before allowing a leadoff double to Abraham Toro in the second. The lead would be preserved, in part, due to a nice play from McCaughan to catch Toro trying to advance to third and a strikeout to keep the Storm Chasers scoreless.
In the third, Arroyo opened with a walk before Marte moved him into scoring position with a single. Michael Toglia took advantage of the opportunity with runners on by driving his sixth homer of the season over the right field, extending the Bats up lead to 4-0.
The advantage would dissipate quickly, as the Storm Chasers began a two-out rally with an RBI triple from Kameron Misner. A few pitches later, Luca Tresh doubled home a run, reducing the deficit to two. Toro then tied the game with one swing of the bat on a homer to right, evening things at 4-4.
A quiet fourth inning gave way to traffic on the base paths for the Bats in the fifth. Walks to Marte and Francisco Urbaez allowed Ivan Johnson to drive a hard-hit ball through the middle of the infield to score the go-ahead run and advance Urbaez from first to third. Michael Chavis increased the lead to 6-4 on a sacrifice fly to center field before the inning’s conclusion.
Working into the fifth, McCaughan struck out the first two Omaha batters before allowing a runner to reach on a hit-by-pitch. The mistake would prove costly, as Tresh once again drove in a run on a double. The Bats starter shut the door on the inning with his seventh strikeout of the game, allowing him to depart in line for the win and a 6-5 lead.
The Bats collected insurance runs the easy way in the sixth, scratching across two on five walks, with RBI credited to Urbaez and Johnson for their run-scoring walks.
Following a scoreless frame from Lyon Richardson, the Bats batted around in the seventh to further pad their lead. Garrett Hampson got the action started with a one-out double, followed by a run-scoring single from Arroyo. Rodriguez reached base with a single, and Marte reached on his third walk of the game to load the bases. For the second straight inning, both Urbaez and Johnson walked home runs, prompting an Omaha pitching change. Chavis then singled home a run for his second RBI, and Will Banfield singled home two more Bats runs in his second at bat of the inning, pushing the Louisville lead to 14-5.
In relief of McCaughan, Lyon Richardson, Anthony Misiewicz, Yunior Marte, and Tejay Antone would each pitch an inning to wrap up the win.
The Bats would prove victorious in a game that saw every Louisville starter reach base at least once, aided by 12 walks. It’s the most walks in a game for the Bats since they walked 13 times on June 13, 2023, at St. Paul.
Arroyo led the way offensively by reaching base five times in a 3-for-4 performance that included two walks and an RBI. Toglia and Johnson collected a game-high three RBI each. McCaughan's win has him tied with Davis Daniel for the team lead at four.
The Bats (20-13) head home to open a two-week homestand with a six-game series against the Nashville Sounds (17-16) on Tuesday evening. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for Sports Talk 790 AM.